Spin the wheel for up to $2,000 cash at Hollywood Park Casino

Hollywood Park Casino near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has an interesting promotion during August. After a certain number of hours of play during the month, patrons get to spin a prize wheel for a chance to win up to $2,000.

But this promotion is clearly not for occasional visitors. You must be a casino "regular" in order to have a chance at this. Here's why:

If you play in the California Games section which includes blackjack, three card poker, Pai Gow, card craps (and I think they have baccarat) your player's card must be scanned 50 (fifty) times to qualify for a spin. Cards are scanned once per hour. That's fifty hours of play during the month.

And if you play live poker, you are required to have 100 (one hundred) scans before you get to spin the wheel.

You just can't hang out at a table for a scan, you must be actively playing during the scan periods. However, savvy players know there are cerain times when they can "sit out" of the action and return to the action in time to get a scan and not lose their seat.

But even if you do hop in and out of the action, you are going to contribute a lot to the casino for the privilege of a free spin.

In the case of live poker you could be contributing two, three, or four dollars an hour to the rake or $400 for the chance of a spin -- and of course that doesn't include hands you might lose, the blinds you might lose or the hands you might win playing.

But there are only a few big "pays" on the prize wheel and most of the prizes are $100.

Hollywood Park Casino will not lose money on this promotion -- at least they shouldn't -- and if you aren't a regular player you'll probably never get enough scans to play and even if you do the odds are you'll just get the $100 prize.

If there is a consolation it is this: the scans of the players' cards also qualify for food vouchers and/or cash back.

A day or evening of poker can keep a player in a seat for five to eight hours -- if they have nothing else to do. But if you are in a seat for five hours in a day that means you'll have to play 20 days to qualify for a spin.